1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a copy management system which performs copy management of a computer program such as game content, movie content, music content, or an application program; computer-readable storage media stored with a client terminal device information processing program; computer-readable storage media stored with a management server device information processing program; a client terminal device information processing program; a management server device information processing program; and a copy management method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
These days, video game machines running video games based on game content stored on a storage media such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, or semiconductor memory have become widely popularized.
A user purchases a storage media stored with desired game content and plays a video game by reproducing such storage media with a video game machine. In most cases, the user gradually begins to collect new video games. Over time this results in the user accumulating storage media stored with each game content.
However, in many cases, a video game machine is only provided with only one storage media reproducing mechanism. Therefore, in order to play a different video game, the storage media currently loaded in the video game unit must be removed, and the storage media stored with the game content to be played loaded, which is a bothersome task
The applicant discloses a video game machine made capable of incorporating an internally mounted or externally attached high-capacity, for example, in the order of tens of gigabyte, hard disk drive (HDD).
In the case of such a video game machine, the game content stored in each storage media are respectively copied to the HDD and it is possible to reproduce and use the desired game content from this HDD. By using such a HDD, it is possible to eliminate the bother of loading the memory medium from the reproducing mechanism of the video game machine.
A computer program such as game content should only be usable by a user who has properly acquired software (storage media) stored with that computer program, such as by purchasing it.
However, in cases where a computer program stored on a storage media is made copyable onto a secondary storage media, the computer program stored on a single storage media may be copied by a plurality of users onto a respective secondary media and used, raising fears of unauthorized copies.